Different cultures embrace different perspectives on important workplace issues, like time management, respect for authority, teamwork and responsibility. Conflicting interpretations of transparency and ethics, methods of communication and reluctance to give and receive feedback may also arise. When clients and co-workers operate based on diverse belief systems with conflicting attitudes, it creates barriers to on the job bonding. These barriers need to be broken down in order for an organization to run efficiently and harmoniously. The responsibility falls on the organization's leadership, and particularly HR professionals, to ensure that these issues are addressed and managed. The goal is to make each worker feel valuedand that their needs are being addressed and considered.

What kinds of issues would you be faced with if you were given an overseas assignment to Japan or Thailand? What would you do to prepare? How would this be different if the assignment were in Canada or Mexico?